Ballet For Aldermen

September 13, 1985

In dealing with the case of William Spicer, the city council majority is following its own simple program. For a year, while Mr. Spicer was Mayor Washington`s nominee as city purchasing agent, it refused to confirm his appointment; as soon as Mr. Washington withdrew the appointment and named somebody else, the majority confirmed Mr. Spicer.

That poses the kind of question that seems to come up only in Chicago. Can the council confirm a nonappointee? If the mayor chooses not to take an action, can the aldermen still approve it--and if so, what exactly are they approving? Should a city council choose the mayor`s executive team for him, overruling him when necessary?

But questions like these do not concern the anti-Washington aldermen. They seem driven by their own inner logic: If the mayor should not get the appointees he wants, it`s only right that he should get the ones he doesn`t want.

What began as a simple policy--frustrating the mayor--is developing the stylized grace of a court ceremony. Even the gestures are getting to be traditional: Ald. Edward Burke`s opening attack on Mr. Washington`s motives and character, followed by the comic interlude in which the council`s veteran wheeler-dealers express shock at the thought of favoritism in handing out city contracts, then the free-for-all with all parties calling each other names.

With each performance, the players polish their technique. This time the novelty is Ald. Edward Vrdolyak`s stand against approving the $125 million people-mover contract at O`Hare International Airport, a contract that Mr. Spicer also has opposed. In principle they are both quite right; the project would cost far more than it`s worth. But in making this issue part of an attack on the mayor and his appointive powers, Mr. Vrdolyak may be putting Mr. Washington in a spot where he feels obliged to defend the contract--which would be unfortunate for him and the city.

Still, if Mr. Vrdolyak can use political judo, so can the mayor. Since the council seems compelled to block his appointees and treat his

nonappointees as heroes, his course is clear: he can just fire all the people he wants and appoint those he doesn`t want.